James Potter and the Ring of Dispel
by karasunoFight
Summary: In time this friendship would come to affect the very course of wizard history. But, today, in this place, on this train, they were just four young boys who'd found friends at a time when friendship was something each needed.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Originally I posted this story as one complete chapter, but it was really much too long and I think it works better broken up into multiple chapters. It's all finished, I just wanted to do some more minor editing after noticing a few mistakes, but I plan on updating it every other day until it's all posted. I know the Marauders' first year has been written a thousand times, but I can never get enough of the Marauders, and it was a lot of fun to write. Let me know what you think!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

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James entered an empty train compartment, feeling quite lucky to find one that wasn't full of strangers already. He ran a hand through the thick mass of black hair that perpetually fell over his eyes, but rather than smoothing it, he intentionally rumpled it – as was his habit. It was intended to maintain the air of having just dismounted a broom after a fast ride. It was a look James prized. A few years ago, he'd been lucky enough to attend a Quidditch World Cup match with his father. The seeker on James' team had made a particularly breathtaking catch, dismounting his broom midair with an impressive spin and landing perfectly on the ground, snitch in hand. James had never forgotten how heroic and smashing he'd looked with his chin length hair a tangled mess around his proud and triumphant face. James had gained an idol that day and sported the look himself ever since.

He stared out the window of his compartment at all the bustling people, parents kissing their children goodbye, and students struggling to push their trolleys. The place was a madhouse and the train was occupied nearly to the verge of chaos. It was the unique variety of chaos only found on this particular train, full of young wizards and witches free of parental supervision, headed to a new year at Hogwarts. James leaned back, ruffling his hair once again, and smirked as he thought about what his first year at Hogwarts would bring. He was already positive he would dominate in all his classes without even having to study.

James was arrogant, boastful even. He was a pureblood wizard from a long line of wizards and witches, but being pureblood was not the cause of his arrogance. James had been spoiled and pampered by his wealthy, elderly parents who had long believed they would never get the privilege of having children by the time James finally arrived. He was their pride and joy, their one and only heir. Letting him go on the train that very first day had been much more painful than they had ever anticipated. His mother could barely speak through the tears-sending an 11-year-old boy away to live at school for months at a time. Once that had seemed ordinary, a mere "matter-of-course" eventuality they had known would occur since the very day he was conceived. Now it seemed a cruel and terrible thing to have to do, not to James, but to themselves. They would be lonely without his mischievousness brightening their home.

James heard the compartment door sliding slowly open. He turned to see who was there. It was a tall, lanky boy roughly his same age. He had the thin kind of face, with large poking out ears and a long nose. You could practically see his bony elbows and knees beneath his wizarding robes which seemed to be a little too big for him. Only his hands, a bit of his neck, and his face were uncovered. He appeared to have scratches on his neck, though they were barely visible as they were mostly covered by his robes being pulled unusually tightly together at the neck. The boy hesitated at the sight of James. James fancied he was intimidated by his good looks and confidence, which in James' view this boy clearly lacked. "Hullo," James offered in a friendly tone and nodded invitingly.

The boy smiled shyly, gave a polite nod of his head, and quietly said hello back. He took a few steps toward James, held out a hand and said, "My names is Remus, this is my first year." The gesture was almost painfully polite, grown-up, and so formal that James nearly laughed out loud. He felt as if he were on a visit to the Ministry of Magic, being introduced to friends of his father. He had a feeling that, like himself, Remus had spent more time around grown-ups than around other children. He liked him immediately, without really being able to explain why. He had a kind face and quiet unassuming confidence that was a stark contrast to James' own. What James had mistakenly assumed was weakness or insecurity was actually just a quiet kind of humility.

"Nice to meet you, Remus," James said, almost-but-not-quite mocking Remus' overly formal tone, "my name is James. It's my first year as well." James gave Remus his "patented" smile that had charmed nearly every grown-up he had ever met, and purposely twinkled his eyes. "Can I help you load your bags? Mine are already put away."

"That would be appreciated, thank you," Remus replied. James grinned to himself and took Remus' largest bag in hand. Remus helped him lift it and put tidily away in an overhead bin. Just as they got Remus' last bag put away, another boy stepped into the compartment.

This boy looked like a greasier, sallower version of Remus. His oily black hair made his pale skin appear even paler by contrast. His sharp nose fairly pointed at the sneer that seemed to be a permanent feature on his lips. He looked at Remus without registering any change in expression, but after one look at James, the sneer grew, and he immediately turned and left the compartment without uttering a single word.

James and Remus looked at one another, slightly puzzled. Remus asked in a slightly wry tone, "Was that a friend of yours?" James shook his head, "No, and he definitely did not seem interested in becoming one now, did he?" Remus smiled, "Well, there's no accounting for poor taste," and gave a friendly pat on James' arm. James grinned, "That's true enough," liking Remus all the more.

"Is there room for one more in here by any chance?" said a voice from the doorway. The voice was neither shy nor overly bold, and genuinely seemed to be seeking an invitation rather than acting on formality. Remus and James turned to see an unusually handsome boy about their same age standing in the doorway that had just been exited by the nameless sneerer. Even James had to admit this boy's looks practically made him look plain by comparison.

"Absolutely, come in and make yourself comfortable, mate," James grinned.

"Welcome," said Remus formally, holding out his hand as he had for James, "I'm Remus."

The boy looked at Remus' extended hand with a mixture of puzzlement and amusement. "Are you a student or a professor that got zapped by a youth spell?"

James laughed good-naturedly, though he was unsure whether the boy's comment was teasing or mocking. He did not want to hurt his new friend Remus' feelings, so he jumped in quickly, "I'm James. Let Remus and I help you with your bags." Remus neither blushed nor appeared in any way wounded by the boy's response. He politely helped the other two boys load the bags in the overhead bins with the others. Then the three of them all looked at each other, taking everything in for a few seconds, before settling down into the compartments seats. James sat on one side, Remus and the new boy on the other.

"I don't think we've caught your name," smiled James.

The new boy grinned, a grin nearly as charming as James', but with a different air. He exhibited roughly the same arrogance, the same confidence but with an entirely different feel. James' arrogance and confidence were of the open, inviting, extrovert variety. This boy's confidence appeared to come from a more closed, isolating, introverted place. "It appears I don't throw around my name as freely as the two of you," he smiled. For a moment James and Remus thought he actually wasn't going to tell them. Then he said, almost defensively, like a dark confession, "My name is Sirius…." then added with nearly forced intention, "Sirius Black." He looked at both of them, as if waiting for a specific reaction.

Remus' face registered no visible response. Either he genuinely didn't know who the Blacks were, or he was very good at hiding his thoughts. James however, had no problem letting any emotion or thought he felt showing on his face or coming out of his mouth. "No kidding? You're from the infamous House of Black, huh? Well, that's a name you see in the news a lot these days."

Sirius seemed a bit taken back by James forthrightness, but James' tone was neither judgmental nor unfriendly, just interested. "Yeah, well, my wonderful cousin Bellatrix likes to see her name in print, I guess."

James laughed outright at this rather ironic statement. The wizarding world had been in the very early stages of a brewing conflict for some time that many feared would eventually result in all-out war. A dark wizard by the name of Voldemort had been gathering followers and rising to power slowly, but more and more quickly as each day passed. His followers called themselves Death Eaters. Their methods were brutal, their beliefs unforgiving and cruel. The identities of most Death Eaters were kept carefully hidden. But Bellatrix and her husband openly followed Voldemort and were some of his first and staunchest followers. "Well," said James unsure how Sirius actually felt about Bellatrix but making a guess based on Sirius' tone, "you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

Sirius gave a sort of weary half-smile, "I don't think that's completely true. You can't choose your relatives, but you can choose who you call family. Bellatrix is my cousin, but she is not my family."

They all sat in silence for a few moments.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, James said, "Well, I've never had a brother…and I've always wanted one..." Sirius raised an eyebrow quizzically at this statement.

Remus smiled and quietly added, "That's true for me as well."

Sirius dropped his head and with suppressed emotion and a clearing of the throat said, "Well, I do have a brother, but I guess I have room for a few more." The three boys looked at each other with grins so wide they nearly cracked their faces.

Just at that moment, the compartment door slid open and a dumpy, overweight, messy looking boy whose only redeeming feature appeared to be an almost endearing aura of pathetic-ness stood there. This boy's appearance fairly screamed of a need for friends.

James took one look at the dumpy boy and called out exuberantly, "Another brother!" Sirius roared with laughter, while Remus merely grinned broadly.

From that moment on an enduring friendship between the four boys would grow stronger and deeper throughout their time at Hogwarts and beyond, but which would ultimately result in a betrayal by one, a murder of one, and an imprisonment of another. This friendship would come to affect the very course of wizard history. But, today, in this place, on this train, they were just four young boys who'd found friends at a time when friendship was something each needed. They passed the hours on the train ride to Hogwarts laughing, swapping stories, eating chocolate frogs and enjoying their new friendship.

It was nightfall by the time they reached their destination. The sky was still tinged with a violet hue as the darkness deepened and the stars sparkled brightly in the cloudless expanse above their heads. A loud booming voice called out, "Firs' years! Firs' years! Over here. Follow me." A big hairy giant of a man was carrying a lamp which he held high over the heads of all the students. He gestured for all the first years to follow him. Too stunned with a mixture of excitement, fear, and aching anticipation to speak, the first years silently followed behind the large man. He led them up a steep and winding path that seemed to go on for an unreasonable length of time. Just when they began to wonder if the path would ever end, they turned a bend and there it was.

Even though all four boys had grown up with at least one magical parent, and so were entirely accustomed to the beauty and mysticism found in the wizarding world, their first glimpse of the Hogwarts' castle took their breaths right out of their chests. "Woah," James practically whistled under his breath, "brilliant." No place anywhere in the world compared to Hogwarts. Set in the mountains, its turrets soared majestically into the skies like the mountain peaks that surrounded it. On the grounds surrounding the castle, there was a large dark lake and a forest that both radiated magic so strongly you could feel it in your bones.

The large hairy man led them to a fleet of small boats onto the edge of the lake. The moon and starlight danced on the water's surface along with the boats that gently rocked this way and that without leaving their docked positions. "No more'n four to a boat," their guide told them. The four friends rushed to a boat together, James in the lead. "Let's grab that one!" James called as he ran toward one near the end. Just as he grabbed the boat's edge and was ready to hop inside, another student stepped a foot into it. James looked up to tell the student the boat was already taken but stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of the student.

It was a girl. A very pretty girl, with long auburn hair and eyes that sparkled noticeably green even in the light of only the moon and stars. James was immediately smitten when she flashed a smile at him and said, "Taken," before he could say anything himself. He rumpled his hair. "Oh," he said coolly, "I wasn't going to take it, I just saw you getting inside and wanted to hold it steady for you."

The girl gave him a look like she didn't believe him but said, "Thanks." Then to two other girls who had been following her she said, "Hop in." The three girls climbed inside. James barely looked at the other two girls, he was outright staring at the auburn-haired girl.

"James, James…." It took several moments for the words to reach his brain. Remus had grabbed another nearby boat. Sirius had already climbed inside, Remus was standing on the lake's edge holding it steady waiting for James and Peter to board, while Peter was standing awkwardly between James and the boat Sirius occupied. Peter didn't want to get into a boat without James. He had already begun to develop a sort of hero worship of him, and if there was any chance James was going to board a different one, Peter didn't want to be in the wrong boat.

"Err…." It took James a bit of effort to tear his eyes from the object of his attraction. "Coming, coming." As the girls had already all settled into the boat, there was no longer any reason for him to be holding onto it anymore. "Smooth sailing," he said and winked. The girls, except for the auburn-haired girl, all giggled. James' good looks and charming ways tended to have that effect on most people, but there was something different about the auburn-haired girl. She seemed entirely immune.

James strode over to the boat occupied by Sirius and smoothly leapt into it, landing deftly next to Sirius. Remus boarded next, followed by Peter. James gave one more purposeful look at the auburn-haired girl. Her face shone radiantly in the moonlight. James vowed to win her over one day. He was arrogant enough to assume it would be easy, but this was in part because most everything came easy to James. True challenges were rare for someone with his skill and intelligence level. "Castle ho!" he called out playfully. Sirius laughed, Remus grinned and Peter (a little pathetically) echoed after him enthusiastically, "Castle ho!"

If possible, the inside of the castle was even more splendid than the outside. The four boys followed along with the other first years as a tall, severe-looking witch with long black hair, whom the large hairy man introduced to them as Professor McGonagall, led them through the enormous entrance hall into a small, empty chamber.

They all crowded into the chamber feeling anxious and nervous, except for James and Sirius, who were neither anxious nor nervous in the least. James took the opportunity to get a good look at his fellow students. He noted several interesting looking kids, including the girl he had vowed to win over and the greasy, sallow boy who'd taken an apparent instant dislike to James. It was definitely an odd collection of students. Some, like Sirius, fairly exuded wizardry in their blood. Others, like Peter, failed to exude confidence they could even function in the Muggle world. Some, like Remus, appeared nervous with anticipation but not nervous as to the foreignness of being in a magical place. Others, like the auburn-haired girl, appeared nervous at being in a foreign environment, looking around with wide eyes and gaping mouths. James, being James, assessed himself as ranking high in this group. He had no doubts whatsoever that he would be near the top, if not at the top, of his class.

"Before the start-of-term banquet begins, it is necessary that you all be sorted into your houses. The Sorting process is a very important ceremony here at Hogwarts, as it impacts your entire experience here within these walls and, to some degree, beyond these walls. The people within your houses will become like family to you. You will eat with them, sleep with them, attend classes together, compete against the other houses together, and root for each other." She looked around, meeting each of their eyes. No one spoke or moved a muscle.

"As you may well already know, there are four houses. They are each named for one of the four founders of this great institution. Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each founder had unique strengths, skills, and qualities that added something necessary and important to the success of the school as a whole. Each house reflects the characteristics and qualities of the founder whose name it carries. You will be sorted into your houses by the Sorting Hat, a special magical object that can look into your hearts and minds and will sort you into the house that best matches you. Remember that no house is better than any of the others, despite what some may tell you. All the houses are equally great, and each offers a unique experience. It's important to remember that throughout all the rivalries."

For some reason she seemed to purposely catch Sirius' eye here and lingered for a moment. Sirius tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat as discreetly as possible. Apparently his family's reputation preceded him. She obviously thought he was going to be a stuck up Slytherin, like almost every single member of his extended family. If there was anything Sirius had intently tried to do his whole life, it was to be different than the rest of his relatives. He wanted so badly to escape the legacy bestowed upon him by his family. He sincerely doubted being sorted into Slytherin would help him on that path, but Slytherin would be his house whether he liked it or not. The consequences would be too great otherwise.

He had a brief urge to run away as they entered the Great Hall, to escape before his future became decided for him. But then he looked over at his new friend James, and for some inexplicable reason he felt a glimmer of hope. If a boy like James could meet him and instantly call him a friend, a brother even, then maybe, just maybe his fate was different than he feared. He was even able to ignore all the eyes staring at him.

He smiled at James, "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James answered without hesitation, "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad..." as he said that, the sallow greasy boy who had taken an instant dislike to James made a small, disparaging noise. James eyed him and asked, "Got a problem with that?"

The boy scoffed, "No. If you'd rather be brawny than brainy..."

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as your neither?" Sirius interjected, already fiercely protective of his friend. James laughed out loud at that, earning him a sharp look from McGonagall.

Before the greasy boy could respond, Professor McGonagall announced, "We will proceed alphabetically after the Sorting Hat sings." A shabby looking brown hat was placed on a chair at the front of the large hall. It looked like the sort of hat that ought to be thrown away. Sirius shuddered as he thought about all the heads that hat had touched. Without any introduction, the hat began singing:

Lend me your ears and I'll tell you a tale  
How a plain wizard's hat was put under a spell  
And came to sort witches and wizards so well  
Be they brave, bold, wise, witty, cunning or sly  
Stalwart, resourceful, loyal, daring or wry.

I look into their minds and into their hearts  
On the very first day they step into Hogwarts.  
I see inside them like nothing else can  
To me no part of their soul is hidden.

I was once Godric Gryffindor's favorite hat  
But fate did not intend me to stay like that.  
Rowena Ravenclaw, intelligent and witty  
Her eagle and blue and bronze colors are gritty.  
Helga, hardworking, loyal, stalwart and trusty  
Her badger and yellow and black are lusty.

Salazar cunning, ambitious, resourceful  
His serpent and green and silver colors are artful.  
Godric brave, bold, daring and chivalrous  
His lion and scarlet and gold colors are marvelous.

The four joined together and started this school  
But needed some help to sort students by rule  
So Godric offered me for use as an enchanted tool.

Rowena, Helga, Godric, and Salazar too  
Endowed me with bits of magic through and through.  
From that day to now Hogwarts has been my home  
Though the students I sort grow up, leave and roam  
I stay here in this castle playing the part I've been given  
I'll start you out right on the path you'll be livin'.

When the hat finished singing its awkward song, the first student's name was called out, "Hazel Abbot!"

A slightly shy-looking girl with hair the color of dirty gold and eyes hazel like her name, stepped out of the group and headed toward the hat. She picked it up, fingers visibly trembling, and gave a furtive look around the room before placing the hat on her head. It barely had time to settle on her hair before the hat yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table exploded in cheers. Encouraged by the applause, Hazel appeared to lose some shyness, jumped up, placed the hat back on the stool and practically ran to the table that had just applauded her.

Sirius' heart began beating madly. His last name started with B, so it would be his turn any minute. The next name called was "Bartimus Bassett!"

A skinny, mousy-haired, wiry boy was sorted into Ravenclaw. Then, "Sirius Black!"

Sirius felt all the blood drain out of his extremities and he could barely hear over the sound of his heart beating wildly in his chest. He felt a hand clap on his back and turned to see that it belonged to a smiling James, "Good luck mate." He walked as coolly as he could manage, given the wild beating of his heart and numbness of his hands and legs, to the stool and picked up the Sorting Hat. "Well," he thought resignedly, "here goes nothing. I'm going to be doomed to follow in the path of my evil family." He sat down on the stool, hat still in his hands, took a deep breath and with a swift move pulled the hat down hard on his head.

"Hmmm…." He heard the hat say, "You've got an interesting mind. Not discernibly better suited for one house or the other. The strongest trait I sense is your desire to depart from the path of your ancestry. Are you sure? That won't make an easy path for you, but then ease has never made for a great wizard… so the house for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius just about fell out of the chair, and he heard an audible gasp from the Slytherin table, before the explosion of applause from the Gryffindor table. His eye easily found the face of the gasper. It was his cousin, Narcissa Black, who was four years older than him and seated at the Slytherin table. She glared at him as though he had just betrayed his entire family. Sirius could not care less what Narcissa thought, though some distant part of himself was anxious over what his parent's responses would be. But in that moment, he was so filled with elation that he could have flown-even without a broom. He grinned at her, shrugged his shoulders and ran to the Gryffindor table, forgetting all about looking cool. He was immediately greeted warmly and with enthusiasm. His heart returned to its normal pace.

There were more than a dozen students called after Sirius before the next of the four new friends was called for sorting. Among those was the auburn-haired girl, whose name turned out to be Lily Evans, and like Sirius she was sorted into Gryffindor. James caught Sirius' eye and gave a nod and a wink that clearly indicated his approval that Lily was in Gryffindor. Sirius rolled his eyes in response.

There were several more names before, finally, "Remus Lupin!"

Remus strode smoothly and stealthily to the chair, and without betraying any hint of anxiety or nervousness, sat down and put the hat on his head in one swift movement. Like Sirius, though, Remus had his own reasons for being nervous about which house he belonged to. He had secret reasons for being afraid that Slytherin would be his fate as well. He feared that his future held a darkness he would not be able to control someday, and he desperately, desperately wanted his fate to lie another direction. He felt if he was sorted into any one of the other three houses it would be a sign that the fate that lay before him did not have to be dark. He was so nervous he forgot to breathe as he waited to hear the words the hat would speak. "Hmm… you're an interesting specimen. Wise and kind, loyal and chivalrous, but the beast that lies within you is cunning and wild. Something tells me though, that the path that is right for you will best be assisted if you are sorted into GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table exploded with applause, with Sirius applauding loudest of all and having to restrain himself from running up to Remus and throwing his arms around him in excitement.

Peter Pettigrew was called immediately after Remus. He awkwardly sidled up to the stool, and almost knocked the hat off the chair when he tried to pick it up. When the hat was on his head it gave a slight pause, "I see an interesting fate for you. You are not right for Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, being that you are neither loyal nor sufficiently bright to fit well in either of those houses. But you are not easily placed in either of the two remaining houses either. You are cunning and resourceful but not particularly ambitious; you are bold and can be daring but not particularly brave or chivalrous. However, I see dangerous things for you if you are encouraged down one path, so in hopes of saving you from your own weaknesses, it better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius and Remus jumped up, they could hardly believe it. Three of the four placed into the same house! It was as if the four were fated to meet and became friends. Now, of the four, only James was left to be sorted. And, he was up next. "James Potter!"

James walked confidently up to the stool, and purposely rumpled his hair (which made Sirius laugh out loud) before placing the hat on his head and sitting down.

"Oh," the hat whispered excitedly. "I can say nothing more than this, you would fit equally well in any of the four houses. You share strengths and weaknesses with all four of the founders, but it will be in your choice of companions that your fate will become sealed. The obvious choice for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius, Remus and Peter practically screamed with excitement. They jumped up and down and pumped their fists into the air like they had just won the Quidditch World Cup. The four friends would be brothers, living together in the same house for the next seven years.

James strode happily and excitedly toward the Gryffindor table and joined his friends in a group hug, laughing and cheering in triumph. But inside, James was troubled by the Sorting Hat's words. What did the hat mean that his choice of companions would seal his fate? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Immediately after the sorting ceremony, the headmaster, a renowned and ancient looking wizard named Professor Dumbledore, gave the opening speech and then announced the beginning of the banquet. Food appeared before them which they needed no encouragement to devour. While everyone else continued to stuff their faces, Professor McGonagall pulled Remus away. He followed her out of the room. Sirius, James and Peter exchanged puzzled looks but had no way of answering what Professor McGonagall wanted with Remus. He did not return until after the other Gryffindor's were well settled in Gryffindor tower. When he finally joined them, he did not give them satisfactory answers to their questions. All he told them was that she had spoken to him about a private family matter and it was nothing they needed to worry about. Remus was not a chatty person and it quickly became apparent to the other boys that if Remus did not want to discuss something, he would shut up like a clam. A polite, friendly clam, but one that was still indelibly shut. There was no point in prodding him or inquiring further, so they let it go. For now.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few weeks passed like a dream. The four friends got settled in their dormitories, met all their teachers, and became engrossed in their classes. As expected, James quickly showed himself to be an intelligent student, quick to learn and eager to show-off, but somehow managed to show-off in a way that amused and charmed his teachers. Even Professor McGonagall seemed charmed by James, and that stern serious witch was not easily charmed.

But the way James showed off in class was entirely different than the way he showed off outside of class. In class, his showing off was academic in nature, intended to show the teachers how well he was mastering the material. Outside of class, however, his showing-off had a mischievous bent and was intended to amuse himself and his friends. He loved to play pranks on other students by performing hexes he learned or invented, something not many first years could manage, and certainly nowhere near as well as James (or Sirius or Remus who were invaluable). The sallow, greasy haired student from the train, whose name was Severus Snape and who was now a Slytherin (no surprise there), was one of James' favorite targets.

No one laughed louder or showed more appreciation for James' antics than Sirius. There was practically nothing James did that Sirius did not find either amusing or impressive, and vice versa. Sirius in turn was becoming a worthy best mate. He was evenly matched James in both magical skill and his tendency to show off. The boys had an ongoing competition to see who could master spells first, often outright ignoring the teacher in favor of each other.

Remus too was naturally bright, though much more bookish than Sirius and James. He would write notes in class and follow instructions exactly where the other two liked to improvise. He also seemed inclined to follow the rules but didn't lecture James or Sirius when they did not.

Then there was Peter, who like a stray dog, was simply always there, following the other three around. He clearly idolized James and to a lesser extent, Sirius, though he was closest to Remus.

One day, the four were lazily lying in the grass by the Great Lake, watching Remus tickle the tentacles of the Giant Squid who was basking in the lake's shallows. James sat up suddenly and asked, "How many rooms do you think Hogwarts has?"

Peter shrugged. Sirius hazarded a vague guess, "Hundreds?"

Remus smiled, "I don't think anyone knows for sure. Hogwarts is known for hiding many secrets, including secret chambers and rooms. I don't think any one person knows them all."

"I don't like not knowing things," James declared. "I want to know Hogwarts' secrets. All of them," he rumpled his hair and grinned, "or at least as many as we can discover in our seven years here."

Sirius looked intrigued, "And how do you propose we discover them?" He naturally presumed any adventure James embarked on would be shared by them all.

"There are lots of books about Hogwarts in the library, we could read all the books about it," Peter suggested, hoping to impress James.

"Nah, we do enough studying and reading for class. Exploration." James said matter-of-factly as if it was obvious. Then, suddenly getting excited about the prospect, "We'll do it methodically like real explorers do! We'll explore one area at a time, learning the secrets of each area before moving on to the next. To keep track of everything we could create a map as we explore, checking off each area, keeping track of all the things we learn…we'll be the first to learn and map Hogwarts' secrets!"

"Brilliant," Sirius declared. "Count me in."

Peter nodded along and Remus grinned, "I'm quite good at mapping and cataloging things, I did it all the time for a… umm… game I used to play with my father." James and Sirius looked at Remus a little curiously but then James answered, "Perfect, you will be our official mapmaker."

"To the Marauders!" Sirius cheered as if giving a toast, the four raised imaginary glasses into the air in a mock-toast. The name came out of nowhere, but it seemed the perfect word to describe their mischievous group.

"Idiots," a smug quiet voice sneered. The four friends turned to see Severus Snape watching them from a few feet away.

"I'm sorry Snivellus, did you say something?" asked James. Sirius had been the one to makeup the nickname, and James had roared with laughter for hours afterword. Remus had been a bit more reluctantly amused.

"Hogwarts has been around for centuries, no one knows all of its secrets, but you four are arrogant enough to believe you will be the first? Idiots!" Severus practically spat out.

James looked coolly at him, then said seemingly incoherently, "Idiot says achoo…"

Severus was taken back, "Wha…?" but before he could get the full word out, James whipped out his wand, pointed it at Severus and said, "Steleus."

Severus immediately sneezed, "Achoo!" over and over again, unable to stop himself or get a word out between sneezes.

"Who's the idiot now?" James asked lightly. Sirius and Peter laughed heartily while Remus simply rolled his eyes with a faint smile.

James jumped deftly to his feet and walked away from the sneezing Severus toward the castle in case any teachers were nearby. The other three followed quickly behind.

Once James set his mind on something, there was practically nobody and nothing that could stop him from accomplishing it or trying to accomplish it-a quality he would someday pass on to his son. True to their word, the four began methodically exploring the castle, discovering and cataloging its secrets and mapping them in relation to the whole. They started on the main level by going to the farthest northeast corner they could find, then moved room by room, hallway by hallway, inch by inch to the farthest southeast corner they could find…. then to the farthest southwest corner they could find…. then to the farthest northwest corner they could find. With the "borders of the puzzle" outlined, they began to fill in the center area. This did not always prove an easy task. Not all areas inside Hogwarts are as static as places found within most buildings. More than once they had to readjust their entire map, no less than three times they had to start entirely from scratch to readjust and remap everything to accommodate what they had learned that day. And that was just during exploration of the main level alone.

About a month into school, Remus was called away from Hogwarts. "My mother is very ill," he explained evasively, as he packed up a few things, "she needs me."

"Wow, you're a better son than I am," Sirius declared, "in a battle between an illness and my mother, I'd root for the illness."

James laughed. Remus merely smiled tiredly. Peter, trying to get James to laugh like Remus had, said, "Mama's boy." Instead of laughing though, James who was particularly fond of his own elderly doting mother, said, "Watch it Peter, you don't know how sick his mother is. Is it serious, Remus?"

Remus shrugged, "It's a serious condition and it's incurable." (This statement was only partially true, being that it was misleading in a very specific way, which his friends would not learn until their second year at Hogwarts.)

This absence stalled their exploration for a few days until Remus returned. The same thing happened again the following month, and each month thereafter.

"What do you think Remus' mother has?" Sirius asked James one day when they were alone together.

James shrugged. "If there's a mystery to learn, we'll learn it eventually."

Exploring the castle turned out to be even more work than the four had initially anticipated. But it also turned out to be even more fun than they had anticipated. They learned that the house elves who worked in the kitchens were only too willing to give you any extra food you asked for, that the characters in paintings were privy to a lot of secrets inside Hogwarts, as were the resident ghosts, that sometimes tapestries and statutes were not merely decorative but were purposely placed to hide a passageway or doorway to a room, and they learned that many hidden magical (and some potentially dangerous) objects were surreptitiously placed throughout Hogwarts. The Marauders were actually learning more from exploring than they were in their classes.

While the four planned on going from exploring the main floor, to the second floor, to the third floor, and so forth, this plan was interrupted by repeated encounters with the caretaker, Filch, who began to grow suspicious of their behavior. The caretaker tended to stalk the main and lower levels of the castle during most hours, so after completing all the exploration they could on the main level, necessity demanded they move to a higher level to get Filch off their tails.

One Saturday afternoon, while engaging in exploration of the fourth floor they came across a mirror placed somewhat suspiciously in an odd, seemingly long-abandoned room. The room looked as though it had not been cleaned for decades, possibly a century. Thick dust covered the floors, wall and furniture so aggressively that the dust appeared to be as much a fixture of the room as the furniture and flooring. Something about the mirror stood out. It didn't belong somehow with the rest of the room.

The boys were immediately drawn to it. They walked to it almost as if in a trance and looked it up and down. Something about the mirror sent tingles down James' spine. There was something to be discovered about this mirror, of that they felt sure, mainly due to their ever-increasing experience with the mysteries of objects within the castle. For several minutes they each took turns examining the mirror, feeling its edges, pressing it in spots, trying to pry it from the wall, and so forth. It was Remus who eventually discovered the mirror's secret. He had been reading up on useful incantations to use on the kinds of objects they had been discovering in their explorations. He had read about one that was often used to reveal hidden passageways, "Dissendium." When Remus tried it on the mirror, the glass appeared to dissolve before their eyes revealing a passageway behind.

"Wicked," Sirius whispered. He was the first to step into the passageway. It was large, large enough that an entire classroom full of students could have fit inside. James followed Sirius into the passageway followed by Peter and then Remus. James cried out "Lumos" and his wand lit up like a torch. Sirius, Remus and Peter followed suit.

"Where do you think it leads?" James asked, knowing full well none of them could have any real idea.

"To the kitchen?" Sirius hazarded a random guess.

"To the headmaster's rooms?" Peter offered.

"Definitely not the house elves quarters, given the filthy state of the room we just left," Remus quipped.

"Shall we follow it and find out? This is by far the largest passageway we've found. I can't see the end or even the dimmest light glowing in the distance," James said.

"Well, it's Saturday and we don't have any classes today or anywhere we are required to be. If there was ever the perfect time to follow a passageway to an unknown location, today is it." Remus pointed out.

"I'm game," Sirius declared.

"Me too," Peter chimed in.

James rumpled his hair, held his lit wand in the air and said, "Marauders ho!" Sirius clapped him on the back and they ventured forward. The light provided by their four lit wands together was usually sufficient, but occasionally the darkness of the passageway appeared greater, more oppressive. They stumbled when the darkness enveloped them and nearly extinguished the light of their wands. While the passageway began with a large space, it did not stay so throughout. Sometimes the passage narrowed and at other points, widened. Sometimes the pathway was flat, other times it sloped downward, occasionally they came across short sets of descending stairs. They stayed close together, always, as they moved forward slowly at times and more quickly when the passageway was wider and flatter.

They walked this way for a good half an hour before Peter asked, "How far do you think we've gone? How much further do you think it goes?" in much the same way children ask their parents, "Are we there yet?" on a long road trip.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we've gone more than a mile," Remus speculated.

This surprised Sirius who had simply been enjoying the experience up to this point, "Do you think we've left the castle?" he asked Remus.

Remus nodded slowly, "Yes, I do."

"You don't think it's possible that with the turns, slopes, and stairs that we've simply gone to a lower level and area within the castle itself?"

"I suppose it's possible but it's not what my instincts are telling me. I think we may actually be underneath the Hogwarts grounds, somewhere near the boundaries of the lake."

"Why near the lake?" Peter asked. He seemed to be growing alarmed.

Remus sniffed the air, "Take a good strong whiff of the air in here," he said. "That damp, dank smell is the smell of the soil beyond the bricks that make up this underground passage. When we began there was no smell of soil. For the last several minutes the smell of soil has seeped in, and only become more and more dank and damp smelling."

Sirius took a great sniff of the air, followed quickly by James and Peter. "You must be part bloodhound Remus, I didn't notice that smell until you pointed it out." He looked at James, "I believe our super-sniffer here is right. We are no longer in Hogwarts. The question is, if our goal is to explore Hogwarts, do we risk getting expelled for leaving school grounds without permission to discover where the passage leads? Or do we turn around and continue exploring only Hogwarts itself?"

"Well, there's no question about it for me, I say being the marauding explorers that we are, we are duty-bound to discover exactly where the passage leads. Otherwise, we can't call ourselves true explorers," James looked confidently into the eyes of each of his friends.

Truth be told, Peter would have preferred to turn around and return to Hogwarts, but he was too afraid to contradict James or to return alone. Sirius was more than willing to explore the passageway. He was as set on being an explorer as James was. Remus, surprisingly, though he was the most rule-abiding of the four, also had no qualms about seeing where the passage led; he was all for continuing along the passageway to its eventual end.

It was another thirty minutes before the passageway began to consistently ascend rather than stay level or descend as it invariably had until this point. Finally, it ended in one full set of stairs that led to what appeared to be a trap-style door in the ceiling. Excited, James and Sirius raced to be the first to reach the top of the stairs. Laughing and playfully struggling to shove, pull or push the other one behind, they reached the top of the stairs at the same moment. James was the first to grab the handle to the string that operated the trap door. He pulled it slowly down while all the others held their breath.  
Whatever room the trapdoor led to was currently dark. It was impossible for them to discern where they had arrived. The four boys stood next to the door which was now located on the floor beside them. Remus carefully closed the trapdoor, seemed to survey the area around the trapdoor and himself by moving his lit wand carefully over the area, as if to memorize it, then covered the door as much as possible. They stood quietly together in the dark, not moving, while they took in their new surroundings. They began to hear muffled voices coming from somewhere beyond the walls. It took them awhile to discover it, but they appeared to be in a sort of basement storage room of a heavily occupied building somewhere.

A stone staircase in the far corner led to an ordinary door with a plain brass doorknob. There were barrels and barrels on numerous shelves all along the walls and in rows up and down one-half of the room. Remus sniffed one of the barrels, and said, "Ale."

"Do you think we're in the basement of a pub or restaurant of some kind?" asked Sirius.

James gestured toward the door at the top of the stairs, "Do we dare?"

Peter stammered, "What if… what if we open the door and are immediately seen by an entire roomful of people?"

The boys all contemplated this possibility. "Well," Sirius reasoned, "we won't know unless we examine it closer."

"Truer words were never spoken," James agreed. Carefully and quietly he ascended the staircase. He placed his ear against the crack between the door and its frame. After a few minutes of listening, he said, "It sounds like the chatter you hear in restaurant. There's the sound of dishes and silverware, lots of different conversations going on at once, and I think I can hear wait staff moving between the tables."

"Are we sure it's not the Hogwarts' kitchen or the great hall?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Can't be," Sirius said, "We've gone too far the wrong direction to still be within Hogwarts."

"What restaurant could we possibly be at after walking about an hour?" Peter asked anxiously.

"Well," Remus seemed to hesitate before offering his thoughts, "it could be a restaurant in Hogsmeade." He seemed reluctant for some reason to offer this possibility, but it immediately seemed the most reasonable explanation to the three other boys.

"You're right. It's got to be something inside Hogsmeade. Probably is a restaurant there," James said excitedly, pressing his ear more tightly up against the door. "I don't think there is anyone right near the door…." he speculated. "I could open it just a crack and peek through to see if we could walk through."

"Why not?" Sirius encouraged, "we've come this far. No sense in turning back now without seeing everything we can."

As stealthily as possible James turned the doorknob and pushed the door ever so slightly open. Light seeped into the basement, brightening their surroundings slightly. James was partially lit by the light directly shining through the crack onto his face and body.

"It looks like some kind of pub," James whispered. "It's very crowded and not well lit. This doorway is partially hidden behind the end of the bar. I'm looking at the back of the wizard standing at the far end of it."

"Is it crowded enough that we could sneak through the door and blend in with the crowd?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I don't know, maybe…" James was intently surveying the scene.

"Even on a Saturday, four 11-year-old boys alone in a Hogsmeade pub is going to raise eyebrows," Remus reasoned.

"Let me have a peek," Sirius asked. James stepped aside and a walked a few steps down, Sirius moved into the spot James had just vacated.

"It looks like there are stairs leading to an upper level, I bet this pub is part of an Inn," Sirius speculated. He looked excitedly around, "It can't be this busy all the time, if we timed it right I bet we could find a time when we could sneak in and have a look around unobserved. Maybe even go outside and check out the neighbor…" Sirius stopped abruptly mid-word. "Hang on …. is that my cousin Bellatrix?" He was silent for a moment, "It is. And there's her wretch of a husband. Who are they sitting with?" Sirius craned his neck, carefully opened the door a shade wider and shoved his head as far through as he dared."That's my mother… and I can't see his face, but I'd recognize that hand and the big gold ring with the Black crest on it anywhere, that's my father. Wait…" Sirius pulled away from the door for a minute and seemed to be thinking really hard, shook his head as if to shake a troubling thought from it, then peered again through the door. "That can't be, no," silence for several moments while he stared, "but it is…. It has to be… no one looks that much like another person. It can't be anyone else. That's my Aunt Lucretia."

The other boys were all silent, listening to Sirius struggle with this information. Then Remus, gently clearing his throat asked what all the others were thinking, "Why is seeing your Aunt Lucretia having a meal with your parents and cousin so troubling?"

Sirius took a step away from the door, peered through the darkness at each of the other's faces and said, "Because she died last year and it nearly broke my Uncle Ignatius' heart."

The boys were all silent for a moment as they digested this information. Then, not knowing what else to do, James said, "Point out the table to me. I want to see what your dear old mum looks like, after all the stories you've told me about her."

Sirius stepped quietly aside and descended a few steps, Remus gently clapped his hand on Sirius' shoulder in a comforting manner. James peered through the crack, "Which table are they at?"

"It's on the far left about three tables away from this end of the room. You can't mistake Bellatrix, her impossibly long, thick, curly out-of-control dark hair looks like she's used hair growing spells on herself a few too many times."

"I see her." James intently started through the crack for a few moments, "Her husband does look a bit of a wretch. You don't resemble your mother much, so there's that. I can't see your father." He paused, "Are you sure that's your Aunt Lucretia and not just a random distant relative who resembles her that you've never met before? You do come from a rather large family …. That, uhh," James tried to find the politest word here, "intermarries almost exclusively.

There's bound to be some inadvertent 'gene replicating' going on, making distant relatives look like twins on occasion."

Sirius shook his head, "No, that's her."

"Can I have a look?" Peter begged. Peter and then Remus looked through the crack in the door. Remus took down some notes for later mapping purposes, in the dim light of the door crack.

The mood was dampened by Sirius' now troubled spirits. The boys headed back toward Hogwarts in mostly silence. They barely made it back in time for dinner. Eating seemed to pick Sirius' spirits up a bit, but he was definitely not his usual self. When they retired to their dormitories for the evening, Sirius went right to bed. Remus got out all of his map notes, meticulously and carefully adding in details and additions they had discovered that day while James and Peter played a game of exploding snap.

Sirius lay awake in bed that night staring at the top of his four-post bed. "James," he said quietly, "James, are you up?"

"Yeah," answered James sleepily, "totally awake."

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment. Then he asked hesitantly, "Why would my family lie about my aunt being dead?"

James said "I… I don't know Sirius, I can't imagine. Were you … were you close to your aunt?" Sirius had spoken virtually negatively about every member of his family. He'd regaled his friends with numerous outrageous but amusing stories about how snobby, vile, and cruel they could be. Sirius had never mentioned an aunt he'd been fond of, alive or dead.

"No, she was my father's sister and went to school with my mum. She was very much like both of them." He was quiet for a minute, "But she married a man who wasn't like her, at least not in any way I could see. He was quiet, kind, smart and funny. He's one of the very few relatives I have who I genuinely care for." He was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure what he saw in my aunt. I mean…. Some of my family marries just to keep the bloodline pure. Toujour pur. That's the family motto. But, Ignatius, for some reason I can't fathom, was madly devoted to Lucretia. He loved her, vile parts and all. When she died, it just sort of broke him inside. He hasn't been the same since. He's like an empty shell."

"Did they have any children?" asked James.

"No, they only had each other."

There was silence for a moment. Then James asked, "How did she die? Er, at least how did your parents say she died?"

Sirius didn't answer for several moments. "She broke an Unbreakable Vow."

James had to stop himself from letting out the exclamation of surprise that had immediately tried to escape his lips. An Unbreakable Vow is a dark covenant, which if violated results in the death of the violator. It is unmistakably dark magic. No one ever makes an Unbreakable Vow for a reason that could be called decent or good. James thought hard for several minutes then asked, "Maybe she didn't actually break the vow, but wanted people to think she did."

Sirius bolted straight up in bed. "James, you're a genius! I bet anything that is what happened."

James asked, "Do you know what vow she made?"

Sirius answered, "No. But I'd bet anything it was something terrible that Ignatius didn't want her to do, so she faked her death to avoid living with his disappointment when she kept the vow."

"Well, once she'd made the vow she wasn't left with a lot of options," James volunteered in a lame attempt to deflect some of the despicability from Lucretia's apparent-behavior. "She either had to keep the vow and lose the husband's respect or break the vow and lose her life."

"Nice try, James," Sirius sighed. "We both know she didn't have to make the vow in the first place."

"Yeah, I know." James sighed. "How did such a terrible family give birth to someone as great as you?"

"Well, now you're just blatantly sucking up to me to cheer me up," Sirius laughed.

"Maybe a little, but it is odd. By all accounts you should have been pure evil."

"Well, I don't know about pure evil, but at least evil-ish," Sirius contemplated, "There's still hope for my parents that my younger brother Regulus will follow in their footsteps. They've already given up on me and put all their hopes on him."

"No, have they really? Are you sure they aren't just suffering temporary disappointment?" James asked.

"Oh, no, nothing temporary about it. They haven't disowned me yet, but I know they're seriously thinking about it. Especially after I was sorted into Gryffindor instead of the holy-blessed House of Slytherin." Sirius answered bitterly.

"Sorry, mate," James said sincerely. "If they disown you, my parents would gladly adopt you. They always wanted more children, they were lucky to even have me at the age they did, they'd be thrilled to add another child to the family."

Sirius wanted to answer but couldn't for several moments, because his throat was swollen with emotion. He knew James meant what he said and wasn't simply trying to cheer him up. And being disowned by his own family was a very likely prospect, after all. "Thanks, mate," he finally managed to choke out without betraying his emotions.

James sat up, "You should come for Christmas break next week, get introduced to your future adoptive parents!"

"Are you sure your parents wouldn't mind a last-minute guest at Christmas time?" Sirius asked, hoping the answer would be something along the lines of,

"Are you kidding, not at all."

"They'd be ecstatic to have another kid in the house at Christmas! Twice the number of mouths to stuff with goodies, twice the number of kids to spoil, twice the number of kids to break the silence of their old age." James said with a laugh.

"Well, then, if they say yes, count me in," Sirius was happier than he could ever remember being. The looming prospect of going home to 12 Grimmauld Place, with its dark magic and numerous spells upon it, its cruel, creepy house elf Kreacher and his disappointed parents, had been weighing heavily on him for weeks now. He'd anticipated being screamed at for being sorted into Gryffindor even though he had already received a Howler for that. He did not anticipate being given any gifts, except maybe from his younger brother, but that would at best be a chocolate frog or two. The prospect of spending Christmas with his best mate, at a home where they would be spoiled with love and affection was like stepping out of the dark and into the light after being incarcerated in solitaire for ages.

It was going to be a good Christmas after all, possibly his first ever.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, James received a return owl from his mother exclaiming exactly what he had predicted, his parents would be thrilled to have Sirius for Christmas. When James shared the news with Sirius over breakfast, Peter looked dark. He was clearly jealous that the two would be spending the Christmas break together, without him. Remus on the other hand, was simply glad that Sirius would not have to spend Christmas with his own horrid family.

Sirius got a letter as well. When he opened it, his face dropped. "It's from my mother. She says my Uncle Ignatius died a couple weeks ago."

James eyes widened. Remus let out a soft whisper of surprise.

"Is this why my Aunt Lucretia was okay with coming out in the open when she's supposed to be dead? Because she no longer has to hide the fact that she's alive from her loving husband?" Sirius was showing more anger than hurt. Ignatius had deserved better. Sirius was furious at his family and ashamed to be a Black.

None of the other boys knew what to say to any of this.

"Maybe I should just go home for Christmas and see what I can find out. Maybe even call my family out for their lies and demand to know the truth. Ignatius should have someone on his side, someone learning the truth that was deliberately hidden from him."

Remus and James exchanged knowing looks. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Sirius. You may be able to learn the truth just as easily without going home and putting yourself in that horrible place. After all, they aren't likely to tell you the truth and there isn't likely to be anything lying around stating what the Unbreakable Vow was. If the truth is to be found anywhere, it's likely to be found in rumors and whispers among other witches and wizards who associate in the same social circles." Remus pointed out.

"Yeah, mate, you don't want to break my parent's hearts by asking me to tell them you can't come after I've told them you can, do you?" James asked.  
Sirius gave a half-smile, "Well…."

James interrupted, "I promise, we'll make it our goal to discover whatever we can about the truth behind your aunt's faked death. My parents will take us anywhere we want to go, if we need to, they have loads of connections just like your family does and loads of money with no one to spend it on but , let me help you find the truth over the Christmas holidays, at my house, not yours."

"Alright, if you promise. If there's anything I've learned about you James, if you set out to do something, it will be done come-what-may."

"Truer words were never spoken," Remus grinned, quoting the line James always liked to say. "Just promise to keep me informed of your progress."

"Will do," James promised.

Meeting James' parents was one of the most interesting experiences of Sirius' life. Just as James had told him beforehand, they looked more the age his grandparents should have been than his parents. They clearly adored James to no end. No wonder he's so arrogant, Sirius laughed fondly to himself. But despite their doting, parental adoration, they treated James like an intellectual-equal and responsible, capable adult despite his age. A stark contrast to Sirius' parents, who had always treated him as a reckless, untrustworthy child who lived only to make their lives difficult.

They expressed genuine pleasure at making his acquaintance and entreated him to let them know if there was anything he wished or required during his stay with them. James showed Sirius to his room and then around the entire house. It was large, open, elegant and beautiful. There was none of the darkness that lurked over Sirius' own family home. Sirius was glad he had chosen to come.

After a large meal, a couple rounds of wizard chess and some Quidditch practice in the backyard, Sirius and James retired to James' room to plan out their method of attack for the secret behind the not-so-dead-aunt.

"How do we even start?" Sirius posed helplessly, "It's not like there's an archive of all the Unbreakable Vows made."

"Well, listen to you trying to start near the end." James laughed. "Solving a mystery requires finding the beginning, not jumping to the end."

"What do you mean?"

James rumpled his hair, "A person doesn't just make an Unbreakable Vow one day, out of the blue, for no reason. Something led her to do it. Something unusual, out of the ordinary. We can't just immediately discover what the vow was, without knowing what was happening in her life, or the life of someone she cared about, that would cause her to make the vow. The Unbreakable Vow is the end result of the events leading up to it. We have to figure out what led her to a place where she would make such a vow. Then, we can figure out what the vow was, why Ignatius would have so deeply disapproved her keeping it, and why she chose to fake her death rather than live with her husband's disapproval."

"You really are brilliant James," Sirius said in surprise, then couldn't help himself from adding, "and I'm not just saying that because your parents think so."

They both laughed.

"I don't mean to add salt to the wound, but members of your family appear in the Daily and Evening Prophet rather frequently for one reason or another. My mum never throws them out. She keeps them in the library, every single copy they've gotten since they've lived in this house at least. When did your aunt supposedly die? We could start narrowing down our search using that date."

"It was about a year and a half ago... sometime in June of 1970."

"Okay, so, let's say we begin with the first edition of January 1970 and move forward from there. Six months prior seems a reasonable starting place but if we get to the end of March without having found anything at all, we may start moving backward from January 1970. Less than 3 months passing before feeling comfortable faking your death to pretend you failed to perform an Unbreakable Vow seems a bit hasty," James reasoned.

"Agreed."

The two boys made themselves comfortable on the plush chairs in the Potters' library and began attacking every edition of the Daily and Evening Prophet to discover any clue they could find. James read the morning edition for each day while Sirius read the evening edition for each day. They found many interesting tidbits and items about relatives of students they had met at Hogwarts which they shared with each other with relish, but nothing relevant to the purpose of their search.

Hours went by. When they finally read the morning and evening edition of March 31, 1970, James asked, "Well, shall we move to December of 1969?"

Sirius sighed, "I don't know…. are we just wasting our time?"

"Patience is a virtue, Sirius," James smiled, somewhat hypocritically. He was not known for being patient. He tossed Sirius the evening edition dated December 1, 1969 and kept the morning edition of the same date in his own hands.

"Virtue, my arse," Sirius muttered but smiled and began scouring the pages he'd been handed. On page 4, he sat up and exclaimed, "Hold on, hold on…. I think we may have something here…." He was silent as he stared at the page, his eyes rapidly devouring its contents.

"What is it?" James asked eagerly. He hurried to peer over Sirius' shoulder.

"The ring in this picture, I've seen it." Sirius whispered.

Curious, James leaned in closer and read the caption under the picture which was of a middle-aged wizard smiling wide and proudly displaying a ring. The caption read, "Nigel Bullocks, famed collector and archaeologist, obtains legendary Ring of Dispel." The ring was large, made of light silver-colored metal, intricate details etched all along its sides. On its top an esoteric five-sided star made from what appeared to be two overlapping triangles, but on closer inspection was an optical illusion because neither triangle was a fully realized, as they both lead into the other. "I can't say I am familiar with the Ring of Dispel, though it rings a bell. Where did you see the ring? Is Nigel a friend of your family's?"

Sirius shook his head, "Not that I'm aware of…. But I saw the ring in my own home, not long after the last time my aunt visited us before her death. Well, before her faked death." He furrowed his brow. I saw my mother give it to our house-elf, Kreacher."

James thought about this for a minute. Then he asked, "When was that, do you remember? How long before she died?"

"Maybe a month. So, around May, I guess."

James immediately grabbed the morning and evening editions of the Prophet dated May 1, 1970. He kept the morning edition himself and handed the evening edition to Sirius. "Look for anything about the ring or Nigel Bullocks."

In the May 18, 1970 edition of the Daily Prophet, James found the hunch he feared would be true. "Nigel Bullocks, famed collector and archaeologist found dead, house ransacked."

"Are you…" Sirius could barely find the words to ask the question, "Are you saying you think my aunt killed Nigel and stole the Ring of Dispel from him? You think the Unbreakable Vow is connected to that?"

"I don't know Sirius," James said softly. "It's a pretty horrible thing to accuse someone of, but if she didn't kill him and steal the ring, how did it end up in your mother's hands?"

"I mean…." Sirius sighed deeply, "I know my family is dark, and they are pure-blood snobs with no love for Muggleborns (which is a gross understatement) but …. murder and robbery? I just, I mean, she's my aunt. She's from a wealthy, well-known family. One of the Sacred 28. We don't just go around killing people to take their jewelry. She could have bought it from him. Everything has a price, and the Blacks have enough wealth to meet just about any price. It doesn't make any sense."

"Well," James realized he would have to proceed carefully here. Sirius had no love for his family, but they were still his flesh and blood. "we might find out that this is more complicated than murder and theft. You're right. It would make no sense for your aunt to see a picture of a ring and make an Unbreakable Vow to murder its owner and steal it. Who would ask her to make a vow that like that? Let's keep reading." He handed Sirius the Evening Prophet edition for May 19, 1970.

It was the May 29th evening edition that gave them their next piece of information. "Oh, hold on," Sirius exclaimed, "a man named Cyrano Wallingford was found guilty of Nigel Bullock's murder. He was sent to Azkaban."

"Can I see that?" asked James. Sirius handed him the paper. James read it through a couple of times. "They never found the ring."

"So, do you think Cyrano killed Nigel and my Aunt Lucretia stole the ring after he was killed, or do you think Cyrano gave it to Lucretia?"  
James quietly read the news story through again. He picked up the May 19th edition that initially reported the murder and then the December 1st edition that reported the story about the ring. He then set all three editions down, smoothed them needlessly, then rumpled his hair and sighed. "I want to tell you what I'm thinking, but …. I'm sort of afraid to."

Sirius looked confused, "Why? Why would you be afraid to tell me anything? You're my best mate and the first real friend I've ever had."

"Because…well, a person can say they hate their family and say bad things about them… but still become angry and defensive if someone else does."  
Sirius' first impulse was to deny this was true for him, but then realized there was some truth to it. "You're right. As much as I despise my family, it is hard to hear others speak against them. But it's okay James, I know my family is dark. I'll listen to what you have to say if you don't take offense if I occasionally can't resist the impulse to defend them."

James grinned, "Deal." He stood up and paced as he spoke, "These are the things we know for sure. A man named Nigel Bullocks found a valuable ring called the Ring of Dispel in December of 1969. On May 19th of the next year, Nigel is reported murdered, and the ring is missing. A few days or so later, your aunt visits your home and your mother hands what looks like the Ring of Dispel to your house elf. Shortly thereafter a man named Cyrano Wallingford is convicted of Nigel's murder and sent to Azkaban but the ring is never recovered. Your aunt "dies" from breaking an Unbreakable Vow a few weeks later."  
James took a deep breath and just dove right in. "It's clear that someone wanted that ring. We need to find out more about it, but let's say someone wanted that ring…. because of some power it has or something it represents. If an Unbreakable Vow was made in order to get it (which we don't know for sure) and someone murdered its owner to get it (which we do know for sure) then we know that whoever wanted it was probably a dark witch or wizard. So, whoever this person is, they might've promised Lucretia something in exchange for the ring."

Sirius took on a thoughtful expression. "Have you heard about that blood purist who has been causing trouble for the ministry? He could be a suspect. Or there's always Bellatrix—she's as dark as they come."

James nodded. "Right. So maybe Lucretia was promised something valuable in return, something valuable enough to tempt her into making the vow. But her husband finds out about the vow, and he is not a dark wizard and so begs Lucretia not to make the vow or not to keep the vow. Maybe he doesn't know for sure whether she's made it yet when he learns about it. But then, he sees the story of Nigel being killed and the ring being stolen, and he confronts Lucretia. He tells her he has no choice but to turn her in. Lucretia and whoever she made the vow with can't have it made known who stole the ring. So, they schemed to conceal the truth from Ignatius. Lucretia swears to Ignatius that it wasn't her who murdered Nigel and stole the ring but tells him that she fears that she has now broken the Unbreakable Vow since Nigel has been murdered and the ring has been stolen by someone else. Then Lucretia and whoever she made the vow with set Cyrano up as the fall guy for Nigel's murder. Ignatius believes Cyrano to be guilty and, then Lucretia 'dies' for failing to keep the Unbreakable Vow. Ignatius is racked with guilt and blames himself for her death since he begged her not to keep the Unbreakable Vow."

Sirius silently contemplated James' detailed proposal, then said finally, "Well, I mean, it fits, but it's a lot of guessing about things we don't know. The facts could fit other scenarios as well. Like…." He thought for a moment. "I mean… I don't remember the exact date my aunt visited, and I saw my mother with the ring. So, what if that was before Nigel was killed? Maybe my aunt bought the ring or … even stole it after Nigel refused to sell it… but maybe she got it while Nigel was still alive. Then this Cyrano came looking for the ring and murdered Nigel when he insisted he no longer had it. Then, my aunt, fearing Nigel's killer would come for her faked her death to remain safe." Sirius shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe…" James reflected, "but why would she stay 'dead' from her own husband even after Cyrano was sent to Azkaban?"  
Sirius pondered this, "Maybe Cyrano was working with someone and my aunt knew that and stayed hidden to keep herself safe from the witch or wizard on the outside of Azkaban."

James, wary of being argumentative about a subject highly more personal to Sirius than to himself, "Yeah, that's possible…. But if she was worried they knew she had the ring, wouldn't she be just as worried they would come after Ignatius or her other family looking for the ring? I mean, she couldn't take the ring to the grave, so her death wouldn't stop them from looking for it…. Would it?"

"No, I guess not…."

"It seems like your aunt specifically faked her death to make her husband think she was dead. Your parents and cousins apparently knew she was alive, otherwise they would not have been having a casual lunch with them at a pub. And your parents told you she died from failing to keep an Unbreakable Vow, which means it is likely what your uncle believed as well. And, from what you said, he was a good person, so her reason for wanting him to believe she was dead and had failed to keep an Unbreakable Vow can't have been out of fear of him doing something terrible to her. Good people don't do terrible things to other people, but they do sometimes turn them in for doing bad things."

Sirius didn't respond but merely nodded his head. Eventually he gave a half-hearted smile. "You sure know a lot about this kind of stuff.

James smiled sheepishly. "I read a lot of mysteries."

After a moment of silence James realized how hard this must be for Sirius, and said placatingly, "We don't really even know if the ring had anything to do with any of this at this point. We're still just speculating and coming up with possibilities. What do you say we go see what we can learn about the ring?"

Sirius nodded again without a word. Then asked, "Do you think we could take a break and wait until tomorrow to look into the ring?"

"Absolutely," James smiled. "let's do something fun." The two played several rounds of Exploding Snap until bedtime, then stayed up late talking about Quidditch until they finally fell asleep.

At breakfast the next morning, James took a random chance, "Mom, Dad, have you ever heard of the Ring of Dispel?"

"Do you mean Lancelot's Ring of Dispel?" his mother, Euphemia, asked.

Sirius and James exchanged looks. "Is there more than one?"

"That's the only one I can think of," she answered.

"It's the only one I've ever heard of as well," James' dad, Fleamont, offered.

"Lancelot was given it by the Lady in the Lake," Euphemia added, "it is called the Ring of Dispel because it has the power to dispel any enchantment, ward off any spell. Many people think it is simply a myth."

"Hold on, now. Wasn't it discovered somewhere last year by some collector or other?" Fleamont asked his wife.

"You know, I think you're right. I did read something about that. I suppose that means it isn't a myth after all. Isn't that interesting?"

"How powerful is it supposed to be? I mean, what level of enchantments can it dispel? Are we talking minor hexes or powerful enchantments?" James asked.

"Oh, powerful enchantments. Legends says it can dispel any enchantment," Fleamont said with enthusiasm. "Very valuable object."

"Is it a good object or a dark object," asked Sirius, "I mean, does it maybe dispel only evil enchantments or something?"

Fleamont and Euphemia both thought for a moment, then Euphemia answered, "As far as I recall, it doesn't discern good or evil intent. It simply dispels any enchantment its bearer comes across."

"That could be really useful to someone who others were trying to stop from doing something, couldn't it? Or someone who wanted to get into places other people are trying to prevent others from entering by guarding them with enchantments?" James asked.

"Yes, I suppose someone like that would find it very useful," Fleamont agreed.

"My father has put lots of enchantments on our home," Sirius said quietly. "Most are to keep Muggles away, but he worries about keeping other wizards away as well."

"Oh, uh, yes?" Fleamont asked. "That's very, eh, prudent of him," he smiled.

Sirius forced himself to smile back. He didn't think it was prudent of his father, he put enchantments on the house because he was paranoid, proud and filled with hate for a lot of people. He knew James' father was just being polite, and he found it novel. His family rarely bothered being polite. Regal, stuffy, condescending, and articulate, yes, but rarely polite unless it was necessary to achieve an end-virtually never polite for the sake of being polite.

"There isn't much more about the Ring of Dispel in the wizarding encyclopedia than we learned from my parents," James said shutting the volume he had been reading.

"Yeah, same with this book on the Arthurian legends," Sirius sighed, "that seems to be all that is known about it." Sirius shut the book he was reading. "So, what do we do now? How do we find out if your theory is true? And suppose it turns out that you're right. Then what? Do we do something? Or do we just live with the satisfaction that we solved the mystery… and that I'm entirely right about rejecting following in my family's footsteps?"

"Well, I honestly don't know how we can verify that what I've proposed is true…" James rumpled his hair, "but we should at least try to find out who wanted the ring and where it's at now. If it's still at your house, we could take it and dispose of it, so it doesn't fall into the hands of someone who could do a lot of harm with it, like Bellatrix, or worse Voldemort."

"Look at you trying to save the wizarding world, James," Sirius grinned.

"I do what I can," James laughed. Then he added, "It can't be that hard if it's still at your house. Your family isn't likely to suspect you have any idea what it is or that 11-year-old boys would have any interest in a ring."

"Well, that's true," Sirius reasoned.

"If it is no longer at your house, well, it may be too late for us to do anything about it," James sighed. "It has been a year after all."

"Yeah, but maybe they've been waiting for the people looking for it to move onto other matters and forget about it."

"Could be." James agreed.

Sirius gave James a searching look. "Are you proposing that after purposely avoiding going to my home for Christmas, that both of us go to my home so we can search for the ring?"

"Could be," James repeated and they both laughed.

James and Sirius managed to convince James' parents to let them spend the next day at Sirius' house. James found Sirius' home as fascinating as Sirius had found James' home. While James' home was a wide, open country-estate-style mansion with spacious rooms and wide hallways, Sirius' home was the kind of tall narrow estate, found in the heart of the city with many levels that all boasted narrow hallways, and dozens of tightly packed, highly decorated rooms. The front door opened onto a long hallway which ran side-by-side along the length of the dining room on the left and ended in a set of stairs. James poked a foot at the umbrella stand which appeared to be made from the leg of a troll.

"Nice, isn't it? Made from real troll." Sirius laughed.

James raised his eyebrows, "Interesting."

"Wait until you see the stairs," Sirius grinned. "Oh mother!" Sirius called, "I'm home."

Without sound or warning, a small bony house elf with a bulbous, snout-like nose, squinty bloodshot eyes, many folds of skin over his very visible bones, and white hair growing out of his bat-like ears appeared at the end of the hall. "Mistress Black is awaiting you in the drawing room," he muttered in a tone that seemed tinged with hostility despite his respectful manner.

"Hullo Kreacher, miss me while I was gone?" Sirius laughed. The house elf did not respond, simply walked slowly back down the hallway and disappeared up the stairs.

"Charming, isn't he?" smiled James.

"Very, but his charm pales in comparison to my sweet mother's. Come on, I can't wait for you to meet her," he said sarcastically.

As soon as he got a good look at the stairs, James spotted exactly what Sirius had meant when he'd said 'wait until you see the stairs.' "Wow, just wow," he gaped. The stairs were decorated with a row of shrunken house-elf heads, mounted on wall plaques. "I don't even know what to say, except to ask, is this an homage to them for a lifetime of good service? Or a threat to current and future house-elves not to tick off the Blacks?"

Sirius laughed hard at this. "You know, I can't honestly tell you. It's quite possibly both." He strode quickly up the first level of stairs, and gestured for James to follow.

The drawing room was cozy and larger than it looked at first glance. It had long windows facing the street in front of the house, a large fireplace with a glowing fire burning, a sofa and a few ornate chairs. Mrs. Black was sitting in one of the chairs, near the fire. Another woman, whom James recognized as Sirius' cousin Bellatrix sat on the sofa. On one wall hung a large tapestry which displayed the Black family tree.

Sirius walked up to his mother and said, "Happy Christmas mother! I didn't know you would be here, Bellatrix, Happy Christmas to you too," James detected a very clear note of insincerity in Sirius' greetings. "This is my friend, James Potter."

"It isn't Christmas yet, Sirius," his mother replied. "Hello, James. Who are your parents?"

James had been about to return the hello, and was taken aback by the instant inquiry into his genealogy. "Oh, er, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter… do you know them?"

"No," she said, "but I've heard their names. Purebloods, aren't they?"

James tried his best not to give Sirius a look, as he heard him clearly give an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I, uh…. yes." He'd never been asked that question before.

"Are you a blood-traitor like our little Sirius here?" Bellatrix asked in snide, sticky sweet voice.

"I'm sorry, sweet cousin, just how am I a blood traitor?" Sirius asked.

"Generations of Blacks all Slytherin and you get put into Gryffindor. Generations, Sirius. You are the very first to ever be put into Gryffindor. If you don't see that as being a traitor to your family, to your blood, I don't see how." Bellatrix responded.

"Oh, well now that you've so kindly explained it to me," Sirius said sarcastically and rolled his eyes for James' benefit. "Come on James, I'll show you my room." Sirius began walking toward the door and then suddenly, impulsively turned and asked, "How's Aunt Lucretia these days? Still dead?"

Bellatrix gasped and glared venomously at Sirius, but Mrs. Black didn't bat an eye, "Funny you should ask, Lucretia has quite recovered. Turns out she wasn't quite as dead as we'd thought."

"That's odd," Sirius replied, "I never knew people could recover from death."

Mrs. Black looked steadily and sternly at Sirius, "I don't know how you learned Lucretia was well before I had a chance to tell you myself, but as I said, she wasn't as dead as we'd thought. It was a mistake. That happens on occasions with certain kinds of spells." She did not raise her voice as she said this, but something about the way she spoke sent chills down James' spine. She managed to be terrifying without showing any emotion at all, or even changing expression or tone. James imagined she could do something quite evil without even batting an eye.

Purely for research purposes Sirius said, "I heard from someone that you were both seen eating with her at some pub in Hogsmeade. The person was naturally very surprised to see a dead woman having a casual lunch with her family."

Bellatrix fairly screeched, "Who? Who would have seen us in the Three Broomsticks that could've told you when you're at Hogwarts?

But Mrs. Black simply looked Sirius steadily in the eye and said, "Yes, and now you know the explanation, so you can give it in the future."

Sirius smiled, and he and James left the room. "And just like that we know exactly where the tunnel behind the mirror on the fourth-floor leads-to a storage room inside the Three Broomsticks," he winked and they both laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Sirius and James shut themselves up in Sirius' room for privacy. "Your house is so big! And has a lot of, uh-very interesting decorations." James shook his head and laughed, stretching out on Sirius' bed, his arms tucked beneath his head. "I'm still not over the house-elf heads! Where do we even begin searching? Do you have any ideas of places it could be?" asked James.

"Well, both my mum and Kreacher have some hiding places we can check." He thought for a minute, "But there are loads of them! They're both so secretive and enjoy hiding things…I think the best plan of attack would be to start by checking the most likely places one by one and then move to the less likely places, and then the least likely places."

"It's your place, I'll follow along with whatever you think is best," James said casually, doing his best to ignore the look of terrible relief on Sirius' face.

Just then someone tried to open Sirius' bedroom door, found it locked and then knocked lightly. James sat up and looked quizzically over at Sirius. "Probably my little brother. My mother would never knock." Sirius stood up, a look of faint irritation on his face. "Come on, I'll introduce you and then we'll start our search."

Sirius opened the door and James had to do a double take. Standing there was a shorter, smaller version of Sirius. The same good looks, the same dark hair, similar eyes and features. The only noticeable differences were in the shape of their mouths and eyebrows. It would be impossible to mistake their fraternity. "What do you want, Reggie?"

"Nothing, I…." Sirius' brother looked timidly at James, "I just, er, how is Hogwarts? Mum said you didn't get into Slytherin. Are you disappointed? Mum thinks you did it on purpose."

Sirius smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, well, mum would say that wouldn't she? I'm in Gryffindor." (He puffed out his chest proudly as he said this). "Brave and daring, like a lion, that's me. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't get into slimy old Slytherin. It means I get to hang out with my best mate, James, all the time. James, this is my little brother Regulus, Regulus this is my best friend, James Potter."

"Nice to meet you Regulus, you have a pretty great brother. But you probably already know that," he smiled and slapped Sirius on the back. "Best friend I could have ever asked for."  
Regulus smiled shyly at James then turned back to Sirius and said, "Mum said you weren't coming home for Christmas."

"That's right. We're just here so James could meet you and see the place. We're heading back to his place tonight."

Regulus looked crestfallen. "Oh," he bit his lip, "It's been quiet with you gone away all the time. And Bellatrix and Rodolphus come over a lot and bring strange people to dinner. I don't have anyone to talk about how strange they are, or to laugh at the weird things they say…and I was hoping you would tell me what Hogwarts is like." Regulus clearly missed having his big brother around.

Sirius felt a slight tinge of guilt. He and Regulus had the rather typical brotherly relationship, sometimes fighting other times bonding; but, being the older brother, he'd always sort of taken Regulus for granted and relegated him as a second-thought, part of the furniture and décor of 12 Grimmauld Place. "Sorry. Reg, I'll be home again in a few months, and for the summer. We'll hang out then. Promise."

"Okay," Regulus still sounded downhearted, but the two boys had more pressing things to worry about at the moment. James patted Regulus' shoulder as the two passed him to begin their search for the Ring of Dispel.

They started in a spot Sirius thought was promising, in a room located on the uppermost level. James never expected the search to be as much fun as it turned out to be. Number 12 Grimmauld Place, having been the home of the House of Black for centuries, held relics, furniture, objects and random odds and ends that likely could not be found anywhere else in the world. The Troll foot umbrella stand and mounted house-elf heads seemed tame in comparison to loads of the things they came across.

"Wow," said James admiringly, "this statute of a grindylow is so detailed it almost looks alive."

Sirius looked at the statue James was inspecting, "It was alive. It made the mistake of crossing my great grandfather. Blacks don't take kindly to anyone or anything crossing them. Now its doomed to be a decoration forever."

"Oh," James said shortly, backing away from the grindylow. "Now I know never to cross you."

Sirius' laugh was filled with bitterness. "I don't hold to the Black policy of revenge and retribution. But, who knows, maybe someday someone will do something terrible enough to me that I will. I can't see it being you who crosses me though, James," he grinned.

They spent hours and hours checking every hiding place Sirius could think of. Eventually they stopped searching to have dinner with Sirius' parents, brother, Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus, and Narcissa, Bellatrix's sister who was a few years ahead of James and Sirius at Hogwarts.

"Are you boys planning to return to the Potter Manor right after dinner?" Sirius' father, Orion, asked.

James and Sirius exchanged looks. They hadn't found the ring. They only had about two dozen more places Sirius had pinpointed to look. They weren't sure if they should simply give up after completing their search of those places or if they should begin a random room-to-room search of places Sirius hadn't thought of.

"No…I uh, still have a few Black treasures I wanted to show James," Sirius lied.

"Like what?" Bellatrix asked skeptically looking at Sirius with more than a little disdain.  
Sirius glared at Bellatrix, "Just stuff. _You_ might have become bored with Black treasures, having grown up around them, but James finds them interesting. They're all new to him."

"Yes," James piped up with exaggerated enthusiasm, "your family has a fascinating history and loads of interesting items. You must be very proud to be part of such a legacy."

Bellatrix wasn't buying any of it, but Sirius' father ate it up. "That is very true, James. There are few families that can compare to the House of Black, even among the Sacred 28, of which, I'm sure you know, we are a part of."

James gave Mr. Black his patented charming smile and rumpled his hair, "Oh, yes, sir."  
It was all Sirius could do to keep from laughing at James' enthusiastic interaction with his crusty, dark, old and proud father. He kicked James under the table and had to cover his mouth and feign a cough to hide his amusement.

James, seeing that Sirius was vulnerable, began purposely making it difficult for him. He began playing the role of enthusiastic, over-eager, student who found the subject of the House of Black to be the most fascinating subject in the world. Mr. Black appreciated every bit of it and was only too happy to brag and regale James with the illustrious history of his ancient magic family.

At one point James' behavior got to be too much for Sirius and he stuffed an entire treacle tart in his mouth to try to prevent a laugh from escaping. This was a mistake and he nearly choked to death on it. While he was coughing, Narcissa interrupted the lecture series on the House of Black and asked, "Aunt Walburga, did you say Aunt Lucretia is coming over tonight? I can't wait to see her."

James grabbed Sirius' arm tightly under the table where no one else would see and the two exchanged looks of alarm.

"Not tonight, dear," Walburga answered, "in the morning."

"Well, that was a great dinner," Sirius said abruptly, "I couldn't eat another bite if I tried. May I be excused?"

Orion nodded his assent. James also asked to be excused. The two boys hurried discretely from the room and had a frantic whispered conversation in the hall outside the dining room.

"Do you think she's coming to retrieve the ring?" James hissed.  
"I don't know, she could be."

"We've got to find that ring and get out of here before she arrives," James decided.

"Alright. While they're still eating let's search my parents' room. Quickly."

Orion and Walburga's room was easily the eeriest room in the house, in James' opinion. Nearly every object in there looked like it was imbued with dark magic. Books with dark sounding titles lined the bookshelves. Stuffed or solidified creatures of every type adorned the room, on shelves, mounted on walls or under glass. James almost screamed when the pair of crows on the perch beside the bed moved. It startled him because he'd assumed they were stuffed or statues like everything else.

They searched the room as thoroughly as they could with no luck. They were afraid to take too long because dinner could end any moment and they didn't want to raise any suspicions, especially if Lucretia was coming for the ring in the morning.

"James," Sirius said slowly, "We've got to search Bellatrix's room while she's still at dinner."

"That's true," James said. This idea clearly seemed to trouble Sirius more than it did James.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, "I just…I can't explain it. I get this strange feeling of dread every time Bellatrix looks at me. I don't know if it's just because she's ruthless, or if it's…something else. It's just…she genuinely scares me. I pretend she doesn't to her face because I don't want her to have the satisfaction – and it would give her satisfaction. I just don't know why she makes me feel this way…she's just, I mean, she's just my cousin and not a whole lot different than my mom, aunts and other cousins. But…I don't know."

James looked at Sirius quietly for a moment before saying, "If you think searching her room would be too risky or cause you harm, we don't have to do it. We can just forget all this and go home right now."

Sirius looked James straight in the eyes. "No. Bellatrix and I have never gotten along, never seen eye to eye, ever. We never will. And I don't want her to win. Let's search it. But we've got to hurry. I don't particularly care if she hurts – or tries to hurt – me, but I don't want her to try to hurt you."

James followed Sirius to Bellatrix's room. Unlike Sirius' parents' room, which had looked somewhat like a storage room for an evil mad-scientist who performed experiments on creatures, her room looked like an upscale dress and jewelry shop. Cabinets, dressers and armoires of every kind covered every inch of wall space. "Alright, this looks promising but challenging," Sirius said, looking around at all the drawers, cupboards and shelves they would need to look through in a very short period of time.

"Let's just jump in," James encouraged and headed over to the largest dresser in the room. He began carefully but quickly opening one drawer after another and inspecting the contents, trying not to obviously disturb anything.

Bellatrix had quite a lot of jewelry, and more than a few looked like they were more than just pretty pieces of decoration. One necklace in particular that Sirius held up for James to see looked very much like a magic amulet. It was probably too much to hope that the Ring of Dispel would be kept with Bellatrix's other rings.

After searching all the drawers and cupboards in several pieces of furniture, Sirius stopped and stood thinking in the middle of the room. Then suddenly, like he was being drawn by some force in a trance, he walked over to the bed, slid his hand between the mattresses and felt around. His fingers felt something hard like a small box. His eyes widened, and he looked over at James, "I've got something!" Heart pounding, he pulled the box out. It was a small box that seemed to be made out of a substance very much like bone. He opened it and inside was the ring.

James pumped his fist into the air in triumph. "Way to go Sirius!"

Sirius wasted no time saying, "Let's get out of here, now!" The two boys rushed out of the room carefully closing the door behind them. They ran to Sirius' room to talk and make their exit plan. Sirius opened his door and called for Kreacher. He came quickly and obediently, even if he did retain the sneer he always saved for Sirius. "Yes, master Sirius?"

"Tell my mother that we're going to head back to James' house as soon as possible." Kreacher bowed and left to do as he had been told.

They were sitting, talking in hushed voices for fear that they would be overheard, when Sirius' door suddenly flew open. Standing in the doorway was none other than Bellatrix. The blood ran from their faces and extremities, leaving them feeling ice cold from head to toe and fairly frozen in terror. How had she discovered the ring's absence so quickly? James knew in that instant exactly what Sirius had been saying to him. There was something uniquely frightening about Bellatrix, you could feel the evil, the ruthlessness, and hatred that imbued every inch of her when you looked in her eyes.

Neither boy said anything, or moved, they just sat there staring, waiting….

"So, you're heading back to your friend's house now?"

Sirius could only nod, stiffly, and mutely.

"You aren't going to stay to see Lucretia or return for Christmas?" she asked accusingly.

Sirius could only shake his head, stiffly, and mutely.

"You really are a blood traitor, cousin. I suggest you take your years at Hogwarts to remedy that. Learn where your true allegiance should lie and the importance of blood," she sneered and left the room.

For a few moments after she left, Sirius and James still sat frozen. Then Sirius gasped, "Oh bloody hell, I thought we were dead for sure. Let's get out of here right now!" James agreed emphatically.

The rest of Christmas break was uneventful. Sirius mailed the Ring of Dispel to himself at Hogwarts via James' family's owl. "It's the safest place for it," he and James reasoned. "We'll figure out what to do with it later."

Christmas Day was spectacular. Just as James had predicted, James' parents spoiled Sirius just as much as they spoiled James. They came away with loads of cool and interesting objects, toys and even clothing.

One present that was given to James by his father was a family heirloom. It was an Invisibility Cloak! "Wicked!" James and Sirius exclaimed at once, stroking the fabric in reverence.

Fleamont smiled, "This has been passed down father to son in my family for generations. I have been trying to decide the best time to give it to you. I think you're ready. From all accounts you are doing well at school, you're making good friends (he smiled at Sirius) and showing great promise. Use it wisely James, I'm trusting you won't use it to cause trouble. Above all, be careful with it. It has survived for many generations through many difficult situations – even saved a few of your ancestor's lives. Someday, I expect you to pass this on to your son."

"Absolutely!" James jumped up and gave his father a great, big hug. "Thank you so much, I won't let you down. It will be safe with me."

Sirius and James had a thoroughly good time finding new and interesting uses for the Invisibility Cloak for the remainder of their break. They plotted and schemed ways it would come in handy when they returned to Hogwarts.

Despite thoroughly enjoying their Christmas break together, they were only too happy to return to Hogwarts. They were excited to share what they had learned and done with Remus and Peter. Remus would likely have something interesting and useful to add to what they knew that they hadn't thought of. Peter was certain to stroke their egos by telling them how brilliant and daring they had been.

They were also eager to get back to their mapping of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. They were excited to tell Remus and Peter that they had learned the name of the pub they had discovered at the end of the passageway. They were also eager to try and convince Remus and Peter that they should take full advantage of the passageway by figuring out a time and way they could leave the ale room, sneak out of the pub and explore Hogsmeade. They had also discussed the likelihood that if one secret passageway existed that led out of Hogwarts, surely there were others yet to be found. They were also excited to show them the Invisibility Cloak, but seriously contemplated playing a prank or two on them before showing it to them.

Remus and Peter responded just the way they had expected to the news and stories they shared. It was less difficult to convince them they should use the passageway to explore Hogsmeade than they'd anticipated. They wondered why they had assumed Remus would try to talk them out of it.

Peter also seemed more surprised by the proposition that there might be other secret passageways leading out of Hogwarts than Remus did. It seemed to them Remus must have already contemplated this possibility. Despite the many possible pranks they had come up with, the boys got too excited in discussions about exploring Hogsmeade and ended up just showing Remus and Peter the Invisibility Cloak – and excitedly told them how useful this would be in Hogsmeade.

The package containing the ring had been placed on Sirius' bed to wait his arrival. The idea that something so valuable and coveted was just lying around amused the boys. "It's actually a genius way to hide something if you think about it," Sirius noted, "just hide it in plain sight like its nothing and people are less likely to give it a thought."

The boys schemed to give a visit to Hogsmeade a try the following Sunday morning. They figured they were less likely to be missed a that time. People tended to enjoy lazy Sunday mornings at home, not leaving the house until after noon. If they arrived early enough, they could have their run of the place and be gone before the Sunday crowd started arriving later in the day.

The night before they were to test their Sunday morning theory, they were so excited they could barely make themselves fall asleep. This left them a bit groggy and struggling to wake up the next morning, but they managed to fuel their wake-up with excitement. They each dressed as "grown up" and "identity-hidden" as possible. Cloaks with hoods that could be pulled over their heads were a must. James shoved the Invisibility Cloak into a bag. They each loaded their pockets with money and they set off.

Practically no one was awake this early on a Sunday in the castle. The one person they knew they would have to look out for was the caretaker, Filch. They stepped cautiously out of the portrait hole that led to Gryffindor Tower. They peeked around corners before cautiously walking around them. They had become practiced and adept at not falling into the trap of letting their guards down, no matter how far they went without getting caught. Too many times in exploring the main level they had made that mistake only to immediately run into Filch at the most inopportune moment.

"I wish we had a way of checking where Filch was in the castle at any given moment," James said fervently. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about running into him."

"That would be useful," Sirius agreed.

"It would be best if it was something that showed us where not just Filch was but where all the professors were at any given moment," said Remus. "Remember that time when came out of the passageway behind the tapestry on the second floor and Peter almost knocked Professor McGonagall down coming out of it?" They all laughed at the memory. "I still don't think she believed our explanation what we were doing coming out of a tapestry."

"Maybe that can be our next project after we finish tackling this map project," speculated James.

The passageway did not feel so long, not now that they knew what to expect and knew where and when it ended. After they had all ascended into the ale room, they shut the trap door, put on their cloaks and adjusted their hoods to cover their faces. Luckily this would not seem so odd in winter, or in an entire town occupied by wizards either.

After they were all sufficiently attired, James threw the Invisibility Cloak over his regular cloak, climbed the stairs and carefully opened the door. It was early enough that no one was seated at any table. James could hear the staff working busily in the kitchen. He slowly walked to the door of the pub to take a look outside. The street was fairly empty. Everything looked as safe as could be expected for the four boys to explore. James hurried back to the ale room and opened the door, "It's all clear, come on."

Quickly and quietly the four boys snuck out of the pub and walked out into the town of Hogsmeade. It was even more exciting than they anticipated. They got a few curious stares, but nobody seemed curious enough to actually speak to them or bother them about what they were doing. They spent about two hours thoroughly exploring the town, they went to all the shops that caught their eyes, they stuffed their pockets with candy and toys at Zonko's, bought mugs of butterbeer and a few other odds and ends. The Three Broomsticks was a bit more crowded when they were ready to leave. They had to be more careful this time going through the ale door to avoid arousing suspicion, but they managed it fine.

All the way back to Hogwarts they laughed and made plans for future visits.


	5. Chapter 5

A little over a week later, the four boys were sitting in their dorms. They had just returned from classes and were planning to do about an hour of exploring Hogwarts, but for now they were just relaxing in their room. Sirius picked up the ring and looked at it. "What do you reckon we should do with this? Someone died for it. Maybe even more than one person, given how old it is. I don't like the idea of holding onto something that caused someone's death."

This was a sobering thought for all the boys.

"Do you think we should give it Professor Dumbledore?" Remus asked tentatively. "He'd know what to do."

Sirius gave the ring a solemn look. "Maybe. I just…I don't like the idea of telling him how we got it. I mean, I think he probably knows what my family is like – what they're capable of – probably even more than I do. But," he sighed, "still. It's kind of humiliating. I don't want him to think of me as the kid whose family faked his aunt's death in order to murder a man and steal his ring without being ratted on by her husband."

"We really don't know if she murdered him, Sirius," said Remus gently, always the most tactful of the four. "I mean, it seems likely that she may have, but she may just have stolen the ring. The man sent to Azkaban could've come to steal it and was angry when he couldn't find it, so he killed its owner."

"Yeah, maybe," Sirius said skeptically, "but I think he would have reported it stolen. He was pretty excited about it, there was a news story and everything. I bet he looked at it nearly every day. He would have noticed it was gone and reported it, if she hadn't killed him when she took the ring. "And," Sirius sighed, "even if she didn't kill him, she was a thief."

"Unless she didn't steal the ring," Peter offered quickly, "maybe she bought it and they agreed to keep it quiet so no one would come after her, looking to buy or steal it for themselves." Sirius shook his head, "But then where does my aunt faking her death, and the Unbreakable Vow come in? No, she didn't acquire it in any honest way."

No one had anything to say to this.

"So, if we don't give it to Professor Dumbledore, what are our other options?" Remus asked finally.

"We could hide it somewhere in Hogwarts. If there's anything we've learned this year, it's that Hogwarts has lots of hidden rooms filled with random magical stuff," James suggested.

Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement, but Remus wasn't sure. "But what if someone who shouldn't be trusted with this kind of power, someone just like Bellatrix, happened across it accidentally and it fell into their hands without any effort at all?" Remus asked reasonably.

They all sat silently contemplating the problem.

"What if we hid it in the passageway that leads to the Three Broomsticks? As far as we know practically no one knows about that passageway. It's not listed in any of the books I've read about Hogwarts and the room where the entrance is located obviously hadn't been entered for ages," Remus said triumphantly.

"Brilliant!" Sirius and James said together.

"We could hide it in the middle where it's darkest, near the smell of the lake, in some random crevice," Sirius said excitedly.

They all agreed this was the best plan. They agreed to hide the ring the following Sunday, and also to take the opportunity to make a second visit to Hogsmeade at the same time.

* * *

They rose early Sunday morning. Everything had gone so well on their first visit, they agreed they should not vary their routine; and so they prepared for this visit in the exact same manner as they had for their last one. The only difference was, this time, Sirius carefully placed the box holding the ring into his pocket.

When they were about half-way through the passageway and had reached the spot where the smell of the lake was strongest, and the darkness was the most oppressive, they all stopped. Their wands were all lit but in this deep darkness they seemed to give off less light.

"Use your fingers to feel around and find a crevice that's cracked open big enough to slide the box into," Sirius hissed, feeling an odd need to keep his voice lowered.

They all began exploring the bricks around them with their fingers-the floor, the walls, the ceiling. The passageway was made of large stone bricks connected with mortar, but it was old, possibly as old as Hogwarts itself. It did not appear to have been used much, or at least not much in recent ages. So, no restoration or upkeep had been done. Being so deep under the heavy ground, and so near the moisture coming from the lake, the passageway had suffered with ravages of time. The bricks, if they had initially been placed evenly in the passageway's construction, were far from even now. The mortar between many bricks had long since begun to crumble and shifts in the earth had pulled or pushed bricks towards and away from each other.

"I think I've found a good spot," James called out. They all made their way in the darkness to James' voice. "Feel right here," he said taking Sirius' hand and placing it in a large crevice high in the wall where two bricks had shifted apart and the mortar between completely crumbled away. Sirius felt it, then Remus, then Peter. They all agreed it was perfect.

Sirius carefully took the ring from his pocket and shoved it into the crevice as far as he could, until it was too tight or too blocked to push it in any further in. They all stood there looking at it for a moment, but as it was dark and looked only like a wall now, there wasn't much point to this. So, Sirius said, "Well, I guess that's that."

"I guess it is," said James. "Come on, let's go have some fun now and never think about the ring again!"

* * *

The boys were wise enough not to skip any precautions and so followed the same process as last time. James, in his Invisibility Cloak checked to make sure the coast was clear. It was.

The boys had a fun few hours in Hogsmeade, stuffing their faces and pockets again. Enjoying multiple mugs of Butterbeer this time, then lazily walking around laughing and joking.

"Well, shall we head back to school?" Remus finally asked.

They all agreed and turned back toward the Three Broomsticks. Only this time things did not go so smoothly. As soon as he opened the door, Sirius locked eyes with Bellatrix who was seated at a table with some witches and wizards he did not recognize. Bellatrix's mouth dropped open and she stood, pointing at Sirius, looking both angry and triumphant.

Sirius shut the door swore loudly. "It's Bellatrix, she just spotted me."

The boys all went pale. "Wh-wh-what do we do?" Peter stammered.

"Run!" James yelled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And so, they ran, they ran, and they ran. When they had run for a fairly long time, Sirius spotted a shack in the distance. It looked like it had recently been built but still looked run down and old. "Head for that shack!" he said.

Remus almost stopped dead in his tracks, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? It doesn't look like anyone lives there," James panted, slowing to Remus' stalled pace, "we might be able to hide inside."

"No!" Remus practically shouted. "I mean, we don't know if anyone lives there and it might be the home to something…." He paused trying to find the words "dangerous. Something dangerous might live there."

"Might? Might?" Sirius panted. "What might live there can't be anything nearly as dangerous as the witch who is definitely following us!"

Remus' reluctance only strengthened. He adamantly did not want to go anywhere near the shack. Sirius, James and Peter had to drag him there, which was no easy task, Remus was far stronger than his wiry appearance led any of them to believe. They hid behind the shack, having been unable to quickly find any way inside. They crouched behind the back wall, close together, catching their breaths. Remus looked miserable, and his misery seemed to have less to do with hiding from a known dark insane witch, than that they were crouching behind this particular shack.

Time passed, and Bellatrix was nowhere in sight. It felt like hours but none of the boys had thought to bring a watch.

"How will we know when it's safe to go back?" Peter asked miserably. It was cold, and their cloaks had long since provided anything that felt like warmth, crouching there in the snow.

"Let's wait a little longer, then we will carefully head back to the Three Broomsticks. There's room for at least two under the Invisibility Cloak, isn't there James?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, maybe even three, if we squeeze tight."

"Okay, well, James and I and one of you two can hide under the cloak while the other waits outside. James can leave me and the first of you two in the storage room and then go back outside under the Invisibility Cloak for the other. That way we'll all be hidden under the Invisibility Cloak while inside the pub."

They all agreed this was the best plan. It seemed to work fine. From underneath the cloak Sirius scanned all the faces in the pub for a sign of Bellatrix or any other family member or face he recognized and saw none. "Where did she go?" he wondered. It was entirely unlike Bellatrix to simply give up, especially that quickly. None of the boys felt relaxed, despite being invisible. Their hearts raced, and they felt weak and pale from fear. What would Bellatrix do to them? Would she attack them, or would she rat them out to get them expelled?

Once all four boys were inside the room, they wasted no time climbing down into the tunnel. They lit their wands as quickly as possible and hurried through the cold, dark passageway as quickly as possible. For reasons they couldn't explain they stayed close together, in a tight group, which meant they kept bumping into each other. But no one complained, and no one uttered a single word. They seemed to sense they were in serious danger and their instinct was to protect themselves by staying close together.

Their pace was notably quicker than it had been in any previous travel through the passageway; they passed through the area where they had hidden the ring in record time and were approaching the last stretch to Hogwarts rather quickly when Sirius heard a sound.

"What was that?" Sirius clutched James' arm and stopped moving.

"What was what? I didn't hear anything," said James.

"I didn't hear anything either," said Peter.

"I heard something too," said Remus. They were standing in a tight, static group together right at the base of a short flight of ascending stairs.

They each swallowed; their throats felt swollen and tight with fear. Each one instinctively grabbed on to each other with their non-wand hands. Each of them was holding their wands lit like torches for light. They were all too afraid to turn around or move. If both Remus and Sirius heard it, it couldn't just be their imagination.

Finally, James took a deep breath and turned. He pointed his lit wand to the area of the passageway behind them.

As feared, there stood Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix. She had followed them to the shack, watching patiently while they hid. She had seen them slip under the cloak and was able to guess where they were headed. So, Bellatrix snuck into the back room of Three Broomsticks, and had been following them quietly back to Hogwarts for quite a distance now, without their knowledge. James squeezed Sirius' arm. "It's Bellatrix," he whispered.

Sirius swallowed hard, then as cool as he could manage, turned and said, "Hello, cousin, what brings you to Hogwarts?"

"Give. It. Back," Bellatrix shrieked now that they were finally alone and in private.

This was not what Sirius expected to hear. "I'm sorry, you must be under the impression that I would have any reason to know what you're talking about. Give what back?"

"I don't have patience for games with you, blood traitor," she screamed. "Give me the bloody ring or you and your friends die right here, right now, and your bodies will rot unfound in this passageway for eternity!" She shrieked the last word so loud, it pierced their ear drums, echoing all throughout the passageway.

There were a few moments of silence when, suddenly without any collusion or prompt, all four boys said in unison, "Ring? What ring?"

Few things could have incensed Bellatrix more. One by one she pointed her wand at each boy and yelled, "Titillando." Each boy was suddenly thrown into fits of laughter as if they were being relentlessly tickled, causing them unexpected weakness. Peter fell to the ground, unable to stand for the shaking laughter that was rocking his body. Sirius, James, and Remus were trying hard to resist falling themselves.

Between bursts of laughter, Sirius yelled, "I don't … know … what you're talking ... about. We ... just left ... school without ... permission… that's all…"

"I don't have patience for your idiotic games," shrieked Bellatrix. "The hex I used is mild, _only_ because you are family. If you don't give me the ring, the next spell I perform will maim you and your friends _permanently_! If you don't give me the ring after that, the next spell I perform will kill you…and your friends!"

James pointed his wand at Bellatrix and yelled, "Caecus!" blinding Bellatrix and then "Colloshoo!" causing her fit to stick to the ground in one place. The boys were lucky James was so practiced and familiar with using hexes after a year of targeting Snape.

Bellatrix screamed then yelled, "You idiot! These ridiculous jinxes won't stop me from tearing you apart. I know where you are at all times. I can come through this passageway any time I want! You are not safe from me anywhere. I will come for you! Give. Me. The. Bloody. Ring. NOW!"

The four boys looked at each other helplessly, still laughing and still weakened from laughing.

"What ... do we ... do?" Remus asked.

"I don't ... know," said Sirius helplessly. "I'm ... so tired ... of ... laughing. I can't … think." He sucked in a painful breath punctuated by more laughter.

Bellatrix lifted her wand and was clearly about to perform a spell on the boys, despite being blinded. All four boys pointed their wands at her in unison and screamed, "Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix's wand flew from her hand, and she was thrown backward but her feet stayed rooted to the spot, causing her to rebound the other way and then back again a few times; this happened with such force it almost caused her neck to snap. She was knocked out as a result. She lay on the ground, out cold, with her knees up in the air because her feet were still rooted to the spot by the spell James had performed.

Bellatrix had likely been mid-spell when their combined spell hit her, because a force shot out of her wand and hit the ceiling of the passageway as her wand flew from her hand. The force of the rebounded, aborted spell was strong. It seemed to reverberate off the walls and bounce back and forth for a while, like a small, focused earthquake had hit in just a single spot. The bricks of the passageway for a good five-foot-long stretch were severely weakened, threatening to cave in at any moment.

"I think … we've permanently ... damaged ... this passageway ... this is ... going to ... cave in ... at some ... point," gasped Remus between laughter. "It can't ... hold ... forever ... after damage ... like that."

The boys sat laughing uncontrollably for a few moments, eyes on Bellatrix, waiting to see if she was going to move. When it was clear that she was unconscious, Remus pointed his wand at himself, waited for a break in his laughter, and said, "Finite Incantatem." Then repeated the counter-spell on each of his friends. The tickling sensation stopped. They all fell to the ground exhausted for a few moments.

Sirius sighed and said, "What are we going to do? We're not safe now. We'll never be safe from her."

They sat in depressed silence. The day had started out so promising, so much fun was anticipated, and it had ended so differently.

Remus was the first one to break the silence, "Well, we could perform a forgetting curse on her, carry her back to Hogsmeade and leave her there."

James and Sirius stared at the dimly lit Remus in awe. "Brilliant, Remus."

"I knew I liked you for a reason," said Sirius.

"Don't get too excited, it's not going to be easy and there are about a million things that could go wrong with that plan," Remus smiled weakly.

James stood and said, "It's better than nothing. We should all perform the forgetting spell at once, to make sure it works. If it's too powerful, then maybe it will mean she forgets a little bit of evil. No worries," he said and grinned tiredly at the others.

"The spell is Obliviate, and you move your wand like this," Remus demonstrated. "If anything goes wrong…well, let's hope we're all just naturally good at this." He shrugged ruefully.

Sirius nodded and said, "Obliviate on three. 1 … 2 …3!"

In unison the four boys yelled, "Obliviate!" with their wands pointed at Bellatrix. Her body rocked from the blow, she shivered and shook without rousing from her unconscious state.

"Is she okay?" Peter whispered in terror.

Remus walked cautiously over to the prostrate figure. He knelt and felt her pulse and listened to her breath. "She seems to be," he said uncertainly.

"Alright, well, let's just hope for the best and get on with the rest of our plan," said James.

They each grabbed a limb; Remus and Peter each grabbed her under an arm and James and Sirius both grabbed a leg. For such a small woman, she was much heavier to carry than they thought she'd be. Slowly, and stopping only so long as they dared, they carried Bellatrix back through the passageway. It easily took three times as long as walking the passageway had the first time.

Finally, they reached the stairs leading to the trap door in the ale room. This was the most difficult task so far – getting Bellatrix up the stairs into the ale room. It took them a good 25 minutes to do so, all the time fearing that she would rouse at any moment.

The moment they had begun to fear would never arrive was finally managed; Bellatrix was still unconscious and was back at the Three Broomsticks. James threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself and slowly opened the door. It was crowded and busy. No one was paying attention.

"Let's get her upright. Sirius you grab her under that arm, I'll grab her under the other. Remus once we have her between us, throw the cloak over all three of us. Peter, you hold the door open only enough for us to get out, then shut it quietly and quickly," said James.

This was managed with less difficulty than carrying her through the passageway. James and Sirius managed to get her to a corner of the pub where no one was paying any attention. "Let's set her down on the ground," whispered James. They carefully set her down and propped her up in the corner against the wall, like she'd passed out. Then they found a half a glass of ale that had been left alone on a table by an unknown patron. James purposely spilled some on her shirt, then placed the mug's handle in her hand.

They hurried, quickly and quietly, back into the ale room. James threw his Invisibility Cloak back into his bag and the four boys fairly ran back to Hogwarts, only stopping a couple times to catch their breaths.

* * *

It was late when they got back to Hogwarts. Dinner had already been served and cleared. Students had already retired to their common rooms, some even to their beds, it was so late. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus had only been slightly missed, given that they had no particular obligations on a Sunday. They all went immediately to their beds. Exhausted, and still terrified that they may not be in the clear, they silently changed into their bed clothes, pulled their sheets over themselves and fell into exhausted fitful dreams.

By morning, they had all calmed down a great deal. No one had come looking for them, and no one seemed to find their temporary absence suspicious. Cautiously, they all went down to breakfast, desperately acting like everything was normal.

The surreal feeling that maybe they were fine, like nothing had happened at all quickly lured them into a feeling of relief. They even began talking about the classes they had that day, as if it was simply an ordinary school day.

"Hey, Sirius!" someone called. Sirius' heart began pumping wildly and the blood drained from his face. He was not alone; the other three boys froze. The speaker turned out to be a third-year from Gryffindor who was holding up a copy of The Daily Prophet. "Isn't this your cousin?" he was pointing to a picture on the front of the paper. It was a picture of Bellatrix.

As if in a dream, Sirius walked over to the boy and took the paper from him. He eagerly and with hands shaking read the front page. When he was done reading, relief washed over him, "Yeah, that's my cousin. I'm so proud," he said sarcastically and winked at the boy. The boy laughed, "Yeah, she sounds like a real winner."

Sirius walked back to his friends and said loudly, "Seems as if my cousin Bellatrix was found passed out drunk in the Three Broomsticks with no memory of the last four weeks. She doesn't even remember Christmas."

All four boys laughed, much harder than it made sense to anyone around them. It was a laugh of relief, a laugh of exhaustion, and a laugh of bonded friendship. They were safe, and they had successfully kept a dangerous object out of the hands of a dangerous person. And if anyone tried to find the ring, there was no way they would suspect a group of first years.

"Shall we go to Defense Against the Dark Arts?" asked Remus.

"I can't think of anything more fitting to do than that," laughed James.

* * *

 **And that's it! Thanks for reading.**


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